Recent news

We are proud of our researchers and how their work is making an impact.

Dr. Kimberley Lamarche, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Disciplines, has been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The goal of the study entitled, Emotional and Spiritual Well Being and Resilience of Advanced Practice Nurses globally during the COVID-19 crisis, is to ascertain the status of Advanced Practice Nurses (APN's) emotional and spiritual wellbeing and resilience during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The data gathered will potentially inform interested stakeholders such as AU academics and Canadian Nursing Regulators of the protective factors for resilience, emotional and spiritual wellbeing as well as variables that may negatively impact these characteristics. In addition, qualitative data will potentially illuminate what supports APNs accessed during the pandemic, and what supports will be needed once the pandemic has resolved.

Dr. Tobias Wiggins, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The initiative entitled, Transgender Mental Health during COVID-19: Digital World Building in Edmonton, will have a positive impact on the Canadian responses to COVID-19 in transgender populations. The interviews will not only reveal the causes for transgender people’s increased risk of viral outbreak, they will also facilitate a better understanding of how social discrimination impacts transgender mental health in a pandemic. In turn, the research results and publications will help inform more effective trans-competent care, policy, and targeted community-based responses.

Dr. Kathleen (Kate) Leslie, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Disciplines , has received a National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Center for Regulatory Excellence grant for her research on nursing regulation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study entitled, Regulating During Crisis: Examining Nursing Regulatory Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic, is to examine nursing regulators' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to develop a clearer understanding of regulating during crisis. The results of this study will be valuable to nursing regulators, educators, and policymakers across various international jurisdictions and will provide insight into longer-term planning for future public health crises. Read more on The Hub

Dr. Janelle Baker, Assistant Professor in Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The initiative entitled, Life on the Farm: An Ethnography of Agriculture during the COVID-19 Pandemic, will contribute to the urgent need to build sustainable and resilient agriculture with pressures from rising human populations, climate change, increased ecological pressures, and the very real risk of other zoonotic diseases emerging from such strained human-environmental conditions. This research study will not only inform and influence environmental anthropolgy by considering community-based food security questions, but will also have applied outcomes by helping farmers in Alberta and Saskatchewan inform one another and the general public on the crucial role that they play in food security and the vulnerabilities they face as actors in the global networks of food production and distribution.

Dr. Eduardo Ordonez Ponce, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Business, has been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The goals of the initiative entitled, Canadian Banks Strategies to COVID-19, are to understand the response of Canadian banks to the pandemc; to analyse the evolution of Canadian banks in their response to COVID-19; assess the banking system's responses from the perspective of diverse stakeholders; and investigate where Canadian banks stand in the shareholder-stakeholder logic. The potential social and economic outcomes of this research speak to the relationship between clients, community, and Canadian banks. While on one hand, the programs provided by the banks help sustain the economic system and the economy moving, they also contribute to society to provide some relief when companies are closing and workers are being laid-off. This research contributes to understanding these impacts, so they are documented, and all stakeholders learn from the current situation.

Dr. Josie Auger , Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The goals of the initiative entitled, Two-Stepping: Determining the dynamics of online access, and understanding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous AU learners and their families, are to determine the dynamics of COVID-19 on the Indigenous learner's ability to access learner spaces in a time of social isolation, and to understand the effect on their mind, body, and spirit within their social environment, and how they have adapted to the significant changes taking place globally. This research study will identify challenges and barriers at the Nation level that are beyond the control of the individual learner, such as, community lock-downs and lack of access to public spaces were computers can be accessed.

Dr. Nina Paulovicova, Assistant Professor, History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The initiative entitled, Heritage language schools' response to COVID-19 and school closures, hopes to understand how heritage language schools have operated throughout the global pandemic. It is in the vital interest of our society to understand what happens to the vulnerable groups, such as heritage language communities, at times of unprecedented events. Once we understand these processes, it is of paramount importance to equip the vulnerable with strategies and tools to build their resilience. Being a Holocaust and genocide scholar as well as the principal of the heritage school and currently an IHLA board member, Dr. Paulovicova is familiar with the vulnerabilities of heritage language communities. This research deals with issues of ethnicity, race, inclusion, exclusion, forms of nationalism and transnationalism, identity building and resilience.

Dr. Martin Connors, Professor of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology has been awarded funds from the Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund which has been matched by the Government of Alberta's Research Capacity Program , and supported by Athabasca University, for the project entitled, Magnetic Aurora Monitoring in AB/SK with Magnetotelluics in Athabasca (MAMAMIA). The initiative builds on previous research done in collaboration with Hydro-Quebec, the Canadian Space Agency, Natural Resources Canada, and collaborators from Japanese research institutions, at the AU Geophysical Observatory sites within Athabasca County and from a magnetic detection network AU developed in Quebec. The research aims to study the effects of aurora on modern life. For example, on the ground, the changing magnetic field of auroras can cause unwanted electric currents to flow in electric power systems and pipelines leading to power failures, including blackouts and possibly, enhanced corrosion.

Dr. Vive Kumar, Professor, School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Technology, has been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The initiative entitled, Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Athabasca University's Performance: An Analysis from the Perspective of Multiple Educational Stakeholders, will lay the foundation for the development and deployment of a large-scale early warning system for educators that will flag students at risk of failing their courses, giving them additional time to provide remedial interventions to help those students. In addition, this research will contribute to the adoption of business intelligence within Athabasca University, allowing policy makers to understand and predict the impact of educational policies or complex events such as the COVID-19 pandemic on student retention.

Dr. Steven Johnson, Program Director in the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University (AU), is a principal investigator for the expansion of the POWERPLAY Program, which was designed specifically to promote men’s health and address some of the specific challenges men face. POWERPLAY, funded by the Ministry of Labour and Immigration in Alberta, is an evidence-based workplace wellness program for men that offers unique resources to support healthy and active lifestyles in the workplace and at home. This award-winning program has benefited countless men, and helped spark discussion around being open and transparent about men’s health promotion—a topic often stigmatized and avoided. The modules included in POWERPLAY are all unique, interactive, and engaging, focusing on topics including healthy eating, active living, mental health, smoking cessation, and most recently, sleep and suicide.

Dr. Angela Workman-Stark, Associate Professor and Dr. Teresa Rose, Assistant Professor, both in the Faculty of Business, have been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. During the pandemic brought about by COVID-19, the heroic efforts of healthcare workers have been widely praised around the world. While much of the applause has been directed at healthcare professionals (i.e. doctors and nurses) in some instances, cleaners and other staff have also been acknowledged for their work. Thus, we surmise that lower status hospital workers may have experienced a positive shift in their perceived value due to public recognition of their efforts. The initiative entitled, COVID-19: Implications for Marginalized Healthcare Workers, aims to explore the impact of certain events or actions on low status, stigmatized workers. Specifically, to examine whether COVID-19 has changed how low status hospital workers (i.e. cleaners, porters and personal support workers) think about themselves, how they perceive they are seen by others, and how they interact with insiders and outsiders.

Dr. Jennifer Stephens, and Dr. Kathleen Leslie, both Assistant Professors in the Faculty of Health Disciplines, have been awarded funding from the Western North-western Region Canadian Association of Schools for Nursing for the initiative entitled, Exploring Barriers to Integrating Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Content in Canadian Baccalaureate Nursing Programs: A Knowledge Synthesis. The purpose of this project is to conduct a scoping review with stakeholder consultation to examine the barriers to integrating environmental and sustainability content in Canadian baccalaureate nursing programs. Specific objectives are to identify the barriers to incorporating environmental and sustainability content in baccalaureate nursing programs as well as the impact of policy and regulation on these barriers in the Canadian context. Drs. Stephens and Leslie will also identify gaps in the knowledge in this area that can be addressed by research.

Dr. Maiga Chang, Professor, School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Technology, and Dr. Terra Murray, Faculty of Health Disciplines, have been awarded funds from the Athabasca University Special COVID-19 funding opportunity launched to support research that leads to a better understanding of, and to learn from, the extraordinary changes in place due to COVID-19. The initiative entitled, Psychological and Behavioural Responses of Canadians during the COVID-19 Pandemic, looks to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and understand Canadians' intentions for carrying out protective behaviours proposed by the Canadian government, the CDC, and the WHO. Currently the top recommended protective behaviours to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are frequent hand washing, cleaning and disinfecting, physical distancing, self-isolation, respiratory etiquette, and wearing a face mask. By examining the intent behind Canadians' behaviour, we can create a better understanding of factors influencing their decisions. This information can be used by governments and institutions during future pandemics to help guide communication, targets, and messaging.

Dr. Sabine Graf, Professor, School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Technology, has been awarded funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Discovery Program for her project entitled, Mining Educational data to provide intelligent information and personalized recommendations. This research project aims to advance research in data analytics, data mining, user modelling, and personalization in the educational domain through designing and evaluating algorithms and techniques to analyze and mine educational data, create user profiles, and use these profiles to provide users (learners and educators) with personalized information and personalized recommendations for improvement. The final result will be an open-source tool suite consisting of a set of software solutions for learners and educators that can not only be integrated with common online learning systems but also used and built upon by other researchers to improve online learning systems and to benefit education across Canada.

More Research On the Hub...